Geoffrey Hall Hedge Cutting & Agri in Co Wicklow is now a third generation family business and one that has earned itself a five-star reputation for its service. Irish Tractor & Agri heard more from father and son Geoffrey and Robert Hall at the beginning of the New Year.

Last year was a good year for Geoffrey Hall Hedge Cutting & Agri and the man himself is hoping that 2018 can replicate the year that came before.

For Geoffrey Hall, hedge cutting and agri contracting in general has been a part of his life for the best part of four decades and in recent times he’s found himself as busy as he’s ever been.

Thankfully, the Garden County native was still able to take some time to outline to Irish Tractor & Agri what his family’s business is all about, along with what they’ve been up to lately.

“We’re in Rathnew, Co Wicklow and I took over the farm from my father in 1999,” Geoffrey explained.

“I’d been working with him since I was a teenager and went full-time with him when I was 18.  Today, myself, my wife Hilda and son Rob are involved running the business and farm.

“My daughter,  Jenny, also gives a helping hand when she comes home from work. She works in the accounts  for a business in Bray  whilst she is sitting her accountancy exams.

“Hilda looks after the books as well as the farm when we are away contracting. At this time of year during lambing and hedge cutting season, she  plays an essential  role in keeping things going smoothly.”

He continued: “We do everything from hedge-cutting to plant hire, rock breaking, mulching, square baling, mowing, dump trailer work, slurry tanking and topping. We do a lot of hedge-cutting work throughout the year.

“We do work for the Council. My father had the contract with them going years back and we’re happy that we’ve kept it to today.”

The contract work for county and city councils often involves digger work for private houses and site clearances and, at the moment, Geoffrey Hall Hedge Cutting & Agri are operating with three diggers in their machinery fleet.

The Halls have bought a lot of machinery over the years from Clarke Machinery and, as Geoffrey puts it, “they have stood by us since we approached them 15 years ago looking to  buy  my first new  tractor and hedge cutter, since taking over the business”.

The man himself also filled us in on some of the new machinery he bought in 2017, as well as what he has his eye on for this year.

“We  run Valtra tractors and McConnel hedge cutters,” explained Geoffrey. “We  deal with  James McGovern of Clarke Machinery in New Inn, Co Cavan. We have been dealing with  them  since 2003.  We honestly can’t fault them they always been there when we have called, they are  second to none to deal  with and would have no hesitation in recommending them.

“We bought a new Seppi Midiforst mulcher a year ago and it has proved a  great machine for  everything from reclaiming farm  land,  maintaining forestry plantations to  clearing over grown sites. We got it off GES Machinery in Enniscorthy and I can have no complaints about it at all.

“Right now we’re looking at a new McConnel hedge cutter to buy and a couple of other machines.”

Top of the line machinery is part of the draw for Geoffrey Hall Hedge Cutting & Agri’s clients, but it’s far from the whole package.

Geoffrey’s customers know that they’ll get a top class service when they deal with him, with many of them dating back to a time when his father ran operations.

“My father was involved in this kind of work his whole life – both him and his neighbour worked together at it,” said Geoffrey.

“He eventually decided to take it upon himself and go out on his own and I guess you could say that it’s a third generation business now with my son Robert involved. I’m at this 38 years now myself.”

Robert’s had to learn the ropes quickly and has enjoyed his time in doing so. He helps out in all different sections of the family business while specialising in one area in particular.

“I’m with dad full-time about five-and-a-half years now and I look after the servicing of  the machines as well as driving them,” said Robert.

“It has been a good experience so far and it’s nice to get driving some of the big machines that he has here. Hopefully we’ll stay as busy as we have been and continue to grow the business.”

Sometimes a businesses’ success can be out of the hands of the people behind it. Indeed luck can play a part.

When it comes to Geoffrey Hall Hedge Cutting & Agri and the services it provides clientele, business can often be overly dependent on the weather coming out of the sky.

While 2017 was favourable on the weather front for Geoffrey and co, other past years weren’t and business noticeably suffered.

“Last year was a good year. We were busy right through,” said Geoffrey. “It all depends on the weather. You’re often trying to fit work into shorter time frame depending on the weather and the months but last year wasn’t too bad.

“We did lose a contract with the council on the roads during the recession but we bounced back from it and, as I said, last year was a good year – from start to finish. I’d say 2012 would have been the worst year we had with wet weather.”

Six years later and business is prospering. One of the reasons why is because Geoffrey Hall Hedge Cutting & Agri are willing to go the distance for their customers – literally.

“We would cover from Wexford to south Dublin and all of county Wicklow as well,” said the MD.

“Some of our clients are with us over 30 years and reason for that is that we give them a good service, we’re great value for money and we’re very prompt.”

What more could you ask for than that?

Along with his family business, Geoffrey also keeps himself busy on the farm with 80 acres of land in Ballinabarney, where he has 25 cattle and 150 ewes.

“We can’t complain about how it has been going for us on the farm and with what we’re doing it’s always about getting the best price that you can. The lamb would be up and down for us – we sell them at the mart in Carnew,” he concluded.

Geoffrey Hall Hedge Cutting & Agri would like to thank all of their customers, both new and old, for their custom over the years  and look forward to working with them in 2018.

Geoffrey Hall Hedge Cutting & Agri

Ballinabarney,

Rathnew

Co. Wicklow

Tel: 0404 67502

Mob: 087 2509882

Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 6 No 2, March/April 2018

Geoffrey Hall Hedge Cutting & Agri